By Joseph Erunke, Abuja
The Federal Government has advanced plans to establish the Armed Forces College of Medicine and Health Sciences (AFCOM&HS) in a bold move aimed at strengthening military medical readiness and expanding Nigeria’s overall healthcare training capacity.
The strategic initiative was firmed up at a high-level meeting convened by the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmed, alongside the Minister of Defence, Christopher Gwabin Musa, the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Mohammed Matawalle, and other top stakeholders across the defence, health and education sectors.
Positioned as a key intervention under the NESRI 6-Point Agenda, particularly its focus on strengthening STEMM education, the proposed college is designed to create a structured and sustainable pipeline of combat casualty-trained doctors, trauma surgeons, emergency response medics, military public health experts, disaster and humanitarian response professionals, and other allied health specialists for the Armed Forces.
Speaking at the meeting, the Minister of Education painted a stark picture of Nigeria’s medical workforce deficit. With a population exceeding 240 million, he disclosed that only 189 medical doctors currently serve within the Defence Forces. Nationally, the country faces an estimated shortfall of about 340,000 doctors.
He stressed that the scale of the challenge demands innovative and scalable training models. As part of broader reforms, the Federal Ministry of Education has already doubled annual medical school admissions from about 5,000 to nearly 10,000, with projections to scale up to approximately 19,000 annually in the coming years.
The Armed Forces College, he said, will serve as a critical pillar of this expansion drive.
In line with the Federal Government’s seven-year moratorium on new tertiary institutions and in compliance with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive, the new college will be established within the existing framework of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). It will leverage accredited federal and military hospitals to ensure robust clinical training and maintain high academic standards.
Clinical instruction will be anchored in designated military medical facilities structured to accommodate substantial student cohorts without compromising accreditation and quality benchmarks.
Admission into the college will be conducted through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). Upon completion of their training, medical cadets will be commissioned as captains in the Armed Forces, combining world-class medical expertise with military discipline, leadership skills and operational readiness.
The model, officials say, is deliberately structured to enhance retention, reduce attrition and guarantee a steady pipeline of commissioned medical officers for Nigeria’s Armed Forces.
Representing the Minister of Defence, senior officials underscored the importance of institutional alignment, strict adherence to governance frameworks and the adoption of global best practices to ensure sustainability and uniform standards.
To fast-track implementation and ensure full regulatory compliance, a Technical Working Group has been constituted. It comprises representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education, Ministry of Defence, Nigerian Defence Academy, MODHIP, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, National Universities Commission, JAMB, the Committee of Provosts of Medical Schools, and the Armed Forces.
The group is tasked with finalising all necessary processes to enable admissions to commence by October or November 2026.
Officials described the establishment of AFCOM&HS as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s health security, defence personnel welfare and long-term medical workforce development. Beyond meeting domestic needs, the institution is expected to position Nigeria as a regional hub for military medical training in West Africa.
The Federal Ministry of Education reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with defence authorities and regulatory bodies to deliver the project in strict compliance with national standards and international best practices.
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